cJniv. of  ill.  Library 


v 

i 


Woodward  Tiernan  & Hale  Si.  Louis, 


' '-An 


•••« 

ONE  MILLION,  ACRES 


CHOICE  EIYER  BOTTOM  AND  UPLANDS 

for  sale, 

1 J J ' 

ON  CREDIT  OR  FOR  CASH,  AT  LOW  RATES, 


LITTLE  ROCK  AND  FORT  SMITE  RAILROAD  CO. 


In  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-three,  the  General  Govern- 
ment donated  lands  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  a Railroad  from 
Aittle  Rock  to  F ort  Smith,  in  the  State  of  Arkansas.  A company  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  building  this  road;  but  lacking  capital  and 
- the  vigorous  support  of  the  citizens  along  its  route,  who  found  the 
^ facilities  of  river  transportation  equal  to  their  wants,  the  enterprise 
languished  until  .the  civil  war  put  an  end  to  all  such  works.  After  the 
war,  when  capitalists  were  made  acquainted  with  the  great  resources 
~ of  the  Avkansas  Valley ; its  astonishing  recuperation  after  years  of 
desolation,  and  the  great  volume  of  its  commerce  in  proportion  to  its 
population,  and  our  agents  reported  that,  standing  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Arkansas  River,  at  Little  Rock,  they  had  seen  steamboat  after 
steamboat  arrive  and  pass  by,  with  cargoes  of  one  and  two  thousand 


— 2 — 

bales  of  cotton,  each  worth  from  one  hundred  thousand  to  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  and  this  weekly,  for  five  or  six  successive 
months;  that,  at  the  same  time,  boats  from  Cincinnati,  St  Louis, 
Louisville,  Memphis  and  New  Orleans  were  carrying  heavy  freights 
up  the  river,  all  of  which  must  necessarily  be  paid  for  by  the  export- 
able crops  of  the  country;  and  that  multitudes,  weary  of  coaxing  the 
impoverished  soil  of  old  States,  skilful  artisans  and  other  ' “J^Uh 
citizens  were  ready  to  transplant  their  enterprise,  industry  and  wealth 
to  a new  land,  and,  while  securing  for  themselves  desirable  homes  an 
ample  pecuniary  reward,  to  take  part  in  the  development  of  the 
magnificent  resources  of  this  State,  and  to  aid  in  its  elevation  totta 
position  among  sister  States  it  deserved-these  were  facts  wli 

Ca\Ve^  determined  6toS  build  a Railroad  through  the  country,  and  to 
share  in  the  great  commerce  such  facilities  and  the  increased  popula- 
tion that  would  thereby  fie  induced  to  settle  in  the  country  would 
create.  We  obtained  a renewal  of  the  land  grants  and  secured  State 
aid.  We  have  completed  this  road,  and  are  now  running  daily  trains 

large  grant,  of  over  a million  acres,  upon  the  mar- 
kef  we  Tale  no  pretence  of  giving  gratuitous  or  » disinterested  ” 
information;  but  to  put  ourselves  face  to  face  with  the  public,  and 
invite  our  fellow-men,  and  especially  that  portion  of  them  who  desire 
new  homes,  to  give  us  a patient  hearing.  If  we  ° g H 
information  needed,  we  trust  we  say  nothing  to  mislead.  ^ 

contrary  the  facts  may  be  to  former  prejudices,  or  judgment  fon 
without  sufficient  data,  the  intelligent  reader  will  not  fail  to  appreciate 
them  for  they  are  founded  on  reliable  authorities,  and  we  mute  the 
closest  scrutiny  into  every  question  involved  in  our  assertions. 

The  State  of  Arkansas  (larger  than  the  great  State  of  New  l oik), 
considered  in  respect  to  Climate,  Soil,  Seasons  and  Productions, 
natural  and  cultivated,  actual  and  possible,  stands  unrivaled  among 
her  sister  States;  and  as  a field  for  the  investment  of  capital,  the 
founding  of  new  enterprises  and  the  securing  of  permanent  homes 
presents'  attractions  to  be  sought  in  vain  elsewhere.  Lying  between 
^ i f q«v>  find  36°  30 ' N.  latitude,  it  stretches  fiom  the 

I longitude  WW,*  «.  M-  *** 
Mississippi  innoitude  94”  40  '.  Its  latitude  is,  therefore, 

2 of  the6  States  of  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  almost  the  entire 
JEe  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  northern  half  of  Mississippi,  Ala- 
bama and  Georgia.  Its  longitude  is  that  of  Louisiana,  Missouri, 


— 3 — 


Iowa  the  eastern  half  of  Minnesota,  and  the  western  half  of  Wisconsin 
and  Illinois. 

..  °f  ^rkansas.  Htfcle  has  been  written,  and  little  is  known,  outside 
its  borders.  It  has  never  been  the  interest  of  any  to  proclaim  its 
excellencies.  Its  population  doubled  every  decade  for  four  succes- 
sive decades,  and  during  the  years  1859  and  1860,  the  increase  of  its 
taxable  property  amounted  to  a sum  equal  to  the  total  value  of  all 
the  taxable  property  in  1852.  The  Northwest  has  tilled  up  at  a more 
rapid  rate,  but  all  acquainted  with  the  facts  know  that  the  compara- 
tive  merits  of  a country  have  been  a small  element  in  the  influences 
which  have  led  to  its  abnormally  rapid  development.  The  progress 
of  Arkansas  has  been  perfectly  normal;  and  since  the  war,  without 
efforts  to  attract  to  it  public  attention,  or  to  induce  immigration,  and 
unaided  by  other  considerations  than  its  merits  as  a home,  its  growth 
has  been  satisfactory;  it  is  now  increasing  as  rapidly,  probably,  as 
any  State  in  the  Union.  Its  present  population  is  about  600,000. 
Its  area  is  52,198  square  miles,  or  33,406,723  acres. 

The  heart  of  this  great  State  is  the  Valley  of  the  Arkansas  River 
running  entirely  across  the  State,  and  dividing  it  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts,  each  nearly  equidistant  from  the  two  watersheds  or 
mountain  ranges,  north  and  south  of  it;  and  while  the  easterly  end 
has  great  fertility  of  soil,  it  is  the  western  half  that  presents  the 
highest  attractions  to  persons  seeking  new  homes.  That  portion  of 
is  great  valley  west  of  Little  Rock  may  be  estimated  at  about 
seventy  miles  from  north  to  south,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  east  to  west.  Its  area  is  about  10,500  square  miles,  or  6,720,- 
aeies;  or  one-fifth  part  of  the  whole  State;  and  includes  all  of 
ten  counties,  and  portions  of  several  others,  and  about  one  hundred 
thousand  people. 

Of  this  territory , the  Little  Rock  and  Fort  Smith  Railroad  own 
more  than  one  million  acres.  It  is  not  a wilderness,  where  everythin* 
is  new  and  to  be  tested;  but  is  a country  already  full  of  established 
institutions,  with  its  country  roads,  school-houses,  churches,  farms 

neighbors^3  1<>dgeS’  °0Untry  stores’  county  towns  and  good 

These  lands  have  been  owned  by  the  company,  but  reserved  from 
sale  to  speculators  for  about  twenty  years,  and  all  this  time  have  been 
growmg  more  valuable  by  the  improvement  of  the  country  and  the 
civilization  which  has  been  flowing  into  it.  They  have  now  all  the 
desirability  resulting  from  this  important  fact.  Never  before  have 
the  lands  of  any  railroad  been  brought  into  market  under  circum- 


— 4 — 


stances  so  favorable  for  actual  settlers,  and  to  intelligent  readers  and 
purchasers  this  fact  presents  a feature  worthy  of  special  consideration. 


CLIMATE 


The  agricultural  advantages  of  Arkansas  are  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  leading  characteristics  of  the  country.  The  southern 
uarts  of  the  State  are  the  lowest.  Thence  the  country  uses  to  the 
northwest,  attaining  an  average  altitude  in  the  Ozark' Mountains  of 
about  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  rain-fall,  ^ich  is  about 
sixty  inches  in  the  country  bordering  on  the  Mississippi,  falls  off  to- 
ward the  west,  to  about  forty-five  inches,  on  the  border  of  the  Ind 
Territory.  The  altitude  and  rain-fall  have  thus  sue  a m y g 
influence  on  the  climate  and  seasons,  as  to  give  in  three  and  one-ha 
degrees  of  latitude  all  the  valuable  productions  of  tully  ten  degrees. 
There  is  not,  therefore,  a single  one  of  the  great  cultural  pro- 
ducts of  our  whole  country-if  we  except  sugar-cane  alone-which 
mav  not  be  produced  in  perfection  in  this  State. 

The  climate  of  the  Arkansas  Valley  is  far  better  than  elsewhei 
in  the  United  States,  in  the  same  latitude.  Latitude  is  not  the  on  y 
element  in  climate.  Great  differences  exist  m the  climate  of  coi 
tries  in  the  same  latitude.  This  may  be  seen  at  a glance  in  Arkansas. 
The  Ozark  Mountains  shelter  the  valley  from  the  cold  winds  of  the 
Irth  The  Arkansas  River,  rising  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  passes 
across  the  broad  western  plains,  swept  by  the  dry  trade-winds  of  the 
“ ° ftf  Me„ico  before  it  enters  the  State;  and  thus  modifies  the 
^ifS^same  manner  that  the  Rio  La  Plata  affects 
“Jte  of  Buenos  Ayres.  It  is  the  same  climate  the  mountains 
„ O the  Italians.  And  thus  it  results,  that  the  temperature  of  the 
glV|  Vnllev  in  winter  is  from  ten  to  fifteen  degrees  higher  than 

inanyTortion  of  the  United  States,  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the 

9r*t :■  .1 ::  »“  t 

temperature  is  five  01  ten  d does  not  show  here  as 

north,  on  the  same  P-alleL  ^ as  ,Q  more  northerli 

Ses,lTinthe  winter  months  it  rarely  drops  to  within  ten  degrees 


— 5 — 


of  zero.  Sudden  atmospheric  changes  are  also  less  frequent  here 
than  in  the  Eastern  States,  in  the  same  latitude. 

This  unrivalled  climate  is,  consequently,  a most  material  element 
in  the  agricultural  success  and  wealth  of  the  State.  Here,  men  grow 
rich  at  farming  alone ; and  we  modestly  put  the  inquiry : Where,  in 

all  the  North,  or  Northwest,  does  general  wealth  result  from  this  oc- 
cupation ? We  do  not  refer  to  the  large  farmers,  where  capital  and' 
improved  machinery  are  used,  or  to  combined  effort.  We  speak  of 
that  great  class  of  poor  men,  who,  with  brave  hearts  and  willing 
hands,  try  to  hew  out  fortunes  in  a new  home.  To  them,  favorin* 
climates  and  seasons,  and  the  husbandry  that  gives  returns  for  the 
work  of  a whole  year,  are  essential  ingredients  in  the  chances  of  suc- 
cess. We  do  not  mean  that  the  land  of  the  North  or  Northwest  is 
poor ; but  we  do  mean  that  when  a man  can  only  work  at  his  business 
half  the  year,  it  is  bad  business  ; especially  when  more  than  half  that 
half-year’s  work  is  to  provide  against  the  war  of  the  elements,  that 
debar  him  from  work.  In  plain  words,  the  winters  of  the  North  eat 
up  the  fruits  of  the  summer’s  labor.  Every  Northern  farmer  knows 
this ; and  that  it  is  winter  that  places  the  cold  and  icy  bar  between 
him  and  the  genial  warmth  of  prosperity.  In  this  country,  there  is 
no  such  inexorable  master  as  old  winter.  He  wields  a light  hand  in 
this  valley.  He  cannot  here  drive  a whole  people  into  hibernation, 
or  to  seek  subsistence  in  the  workshops  of  the  city,  or  to  toils  and 
exposures  to  ice  and  snow  and  howling  blasts,  that  soon  bring  down 

the  strong  man  in  his  course,  and  send  the  feeble  and  sickly  to  “the 
better  land.  ’ ’ 


We  ask  the  man  about  to  break  up  and  go  to  a new  country,  to  sit 
down  with  h,s  wife,  pen  and  paper  in  hand,  and  make  a calculation 
of  the  amount  of  tax  he  pays  to  winter,  for  extra  expensive  buildings 
for  his  family  and  stock,  for  blankets  and  heavy  woolens,  for  medi- 
cines and  doctor’s  bills,  to  cure  colds  and  fevers,  and  his  many  other 
winter  expenses,  and  then  foot  it  all  up,  and  see  how  much  of  the 
year  s toil  is  thus  consumed.  It  will  astonish  most  men.  Suppose 
now,  you  can  save  one-half  your  expenses,  and  can  add  one-third  to 
the  days  of  productive  labor  in  the  year,  how  different  the  account 
will  stand!  Here,  every  month  in  the  year  invites  agricultural  labor 
and  industry,  receiving  their  adequate  compensation,  and  at  a very 
much  less  expenditure  of  labor  for  farm  culture  than  upon  farms  at 
the  East  Even  the  winter  months  may  be  fully  employed.  At  the 

orth,  they  are  months  of  comparative  idleness,  or,  at  best,  bring 
no  equivalent  returns.  ° 


— 6 — 


In  the  temperate  zone,  a difference  of  five  or  ten  degrees  in  winter 
is  a difference  of  far  more  than  twice  as  many  millions  of  dollars, 
annually,  to  the  citizens  of  a State.  It  is  many  thousands  of  dollars 
in  a life-time  to  every  farmer. 


SOIL. 


The  unsurpassed  fertility  of  the  Arkansas  bottom-lands  will  make 
them  forever  desirable.  Dr.  David  Dale  Owen,  whose  authority  is 
second  to  none  other,  says:  u These  lands  are  not  excelled  for  fertility 
by  any  in  the  world.  ” It  is  hard  to  predict  their  value  when  a dense 
population  shall  fill  the  valley.  Fifty  years  of  cotton  and  corn  cul- 
ture does  not  seem  to  diminish  their  fertility.  They  have  been  over- 
flowed at  intervals,  averaging,  perhaps,  once  in  twenty  years ; but 
these  overflows  contribute  greatly  to  the  richness  of  the  land,  by 
fresh  deposits  of  the  most  fertile  soils.  Even  this  does  not  seem  suf- 
ficient to  account  for  their  inexhaustibility.  Dr.  Owen  suggests  they 
are  annually  restored  by  the  percolation  of  the  waters  of  the  river, 
richly  freighted  with  all  the  required  fertilizing  elements.  The  soil 
is  porous  and  permeable,  and  the  waters  are  proved,  by  analysis,  to 
contain  all  such  elements.  And  it  is  found  that  well-water  in  the 
bottoms,  which  rises  and  falls  with  the  river,  does  not  contain,  to  any 
great  extent,  the  organic  and  mineral  matter  found  in  the  river 
water ; showing  that  in  percolating  the  soils,  its  rich  fertilizing  ingre- 
dients are  filtered  out,  and  retained,  to  become  food  for  crops,  whose 
roots  penetrate  to  a great  depth.  The  great  river  thus  manures  the 
land  with  all  that  the  crops  require,  and  then  furnishes  a medium  to 
bear  them  away  to  the  distant  markets  of  the  world ! 

The  u creek  bottoms,”  on  the  banks  of  the  many  tributaries  of  the 
great  river,  also  possess  surprising  fertility.  By  the  decomposition 
of  the  various  rocks  and  shales  of  the  great  mill-stone  grit  formation, 
these  lands  are  constantly  supplied  with  new  deposits  of  fertility. 
One  not  acquainted  with  facts  can  have  but  little  idea  of  the  vast 
extent  of  these  disintegrations.  All  the  valleys  and  foot-hills  of  the 
mountains  are  favorably  affected  by  their  influence.  Millions  of  tons 
of  rich  soils  are  annually  washed  down  from  the  mountains  and  depos- 
ited on  the  low  lands,  and  as  the  country  is  cleared  up,  the  distance 
to  which  this  detritus  is  carried  will  be  greatly  increased.  It  would 
be  easy  to  point  out  localities  where,  thirty  years  ago,  there  was 


scarcely  any  soil,  now  covered  with  a deep  rich  loam,  and  bearing 
fine  crops. 

There  is  little  rocky  land  in  Arkansas,  not  rich  enough  to  grow 
grasses  andjDther  herbage  fit  for  grazing ; and  some  of  the  hill-sides 
are  among  the  richest  soils  in  the  State,  and  admirably  fitted  for  the 
growth  of  orchards  and  vineyards.  There  are  tracts  marked  on  the 
Plats  of  Public  Surveys  “Rocky,  not  fit  for  cultivation,”  that  are 
quite  valuable.  “Poor  lands  are  good  neighbors”  is  a common 
saying.  They  add  to  the  value  of  good  lands,  by  their  perpetual 
use,  without  cost,  not  even  taxes,  and  the  worth  of  many  farms  is 
thus  increased. 

Dr.  Owen  says:  “A  comparison  of  Arkansas  soils,  so  far  as 

“made,  with  a few  soils  collected  in  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota, 
“ show  that  her  soils  generally  are  equally  rich,  in  fertilizing  ingredi- 
“ ents,  with  those  of  the  said  States,  and  that  her  bottom-lands  are, 
“in  truth,  richer .” 


SEASONS. 


By  “ seasons”  we  mean  just  what  the  farmer  means  by  the  term — 
that  due  mixture  of  rain  and  sun,  which  best  promotes  the  vegetable 
growth.  Climate  and  soil  have  usually  been  considered  the  chief 
necessities  in  production.  Undoubtedly  each  may  be  regarded  a sine 
qua  non , but  “season”  is  equally  so.  What  we  desire  is,  an  open 
spring,  early  vegetation,  southern  winds  warming  the  soil,  then 
gentle  rains — frequent  rather  than  copious  falls — with  bright  sun- 
shine between ; the  greatest  fall  of  rain  in  the  spring,  and  then  dry, 
clear  weather.  The  corn  crop  is  the  index  of  the  season.  When 
the  farmer  can  produce  this  successfully,  he  can  raise  everything  else 
that  grows  at  the  same  time. 

We  never  fail  here  to  have  spring  rains.  These  generally  continue 
until  some  time  in  Juiie,  after  which  there  are  thirty  or  forty  days  of 
comparatively  rainless  weather.  Between  July  20th  and  August  10th 
there  are  usually  hard  rains,  always  regarded  as  very  “ seasonable ,” 
and  then  comparatively  dry  weather  again  ; and  when  particularly  so, 
the  cotton  crop  is  superior.  The  first  frost  is  about  October  20th, 
but  only  sufficient  to  check  vegetation.  Sometimes  cotton  blooms  in 
the  field  till  December.  With  an  annual  rain-fall  of  about  fifty  inches 
thus  distributed,  our  “seasons”  are  very  good.  There  are  excep- 
tional years,  as  everywhere,  but  never  here  disastrously  so. 


PRODUCTIONS. 


From  such  favorable  climate,  soil  and  seasons,  general  productive- 
ness is  inevitable.  The  Commissioner  of  the  United  States  Land 
Office  says:  “The  Valley  of  the  Arkansas  is  covered  with  a dense 

“forest  for  forty  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Further  westward 
4 4 lies  an  extremely  fertile , well- watered  country,  occasionally  moun- 
tainous and  at  other  times  level,  being  one  of  the  most  productive 
44  regions  on  the  continent  for  the  culture  of  cotton,  corn  and  tobacco. 
“The  products  of  Arkansas  are  classed  with  those  of  agriculture, 
44  manufactures,  the  forest  and  the  mines.  Of  the  first  the  variety  is 
44  great,  embracing  the  hardy  growth  of  the  Northern  in  the  western, 
44  and  the  tropical  plants  and  fruits  of  the  South  in  the  eastern  and 
44  southern  sections.  The  principal  of  these  are  wheat,  rye,  oats, 
44  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes,  maize,  peas,  beans,  butter,  cheese,  wool, 
44  slaughtered  animals,  honey,  beeswax,  tobacco,  cotton,  hay  and 
44  garden  products  of  great  number  and  value.” 

Arkansas  exports  from  her  borders  cotton  alone  of  the  value  of 
nearly  one-tenth  the  entire  foreign  exports  of  the  whole  country  of 
every  kind,  natural  or  manufactured ; and  she  contributes  more  to 
sustain  the  balance  of  trade  and  the  revenues  of  the  country,  in  pro- 
portion to  her  population,  than  any  other  State. 

COTTON. 

This  is  a. “cotton  country,”  not  because  it  alone  will  grow,  but 
because  it  will  grow,  and  on  the  Upper  Arkansas  to  perfection ; and 
wherever  it  will  grow  men  will  cultivate  it,  because  they  expect  to 
make  it  profitable.  Sometimes  they  fail,  but  generally  succeed.  Of 
course  a man  may  plant  on  speculation ; he  may  invest  in  hope  of 
great  profit  and  speedy  fortune,  and  fail,  as  most  do  who  strike  for  a 
fortune.  When  we  speak  of  success,  we  suppose  farmers  to  be  act- 
ing as  sensible  men,  and  under  those  conditions  when  they  produce 
at  home  what  they  can  produce  cheaper  than  they  can  buy  abroad, 
and  an  exportable  crop  on  which  they  can  realize  mone}'.  Cotton 
has  always  been  the  great  staple  export  of  Arkansas,  and  is  the  great 
agricultural  staple  of  the  world.  It  bears  the  farthest  transportation, 
and  commands  cash  in  any  market,  and  is  raised  here  as  profitably 
as  in  any  other  section  of  the  country,  and  has  no  superior  in  quality. 


— 9 — 


Governor  Conway  did  not  exaggerate  in  his  annual  message  to  the 
Legislature  of  1858,  when  he  said:  “ If  we  had  labor  enough  to  cul- 
“ tivate  all  the  cotton  lands  in  the  State,  Arkansas  alone  could  suppfy 
“ annually  the  market  of  the  world  with  as  much  cotton  as  has  ever 
“ been  raised  any  year  in  all  of  the  cotton-growing  States  of  the 
“Union.”  This  is  equally  true  to-day.  , 

An  ordinary  family,  say  one  man  and  two  boys  or  girls,  may  pro- 
duce easily,  in  addition  to  other  crops,  ten  or  fifteen  bales  of  cotton. 
One-half  the  work  is  picking ; at  this  women  and  children  are  more 
profitable  than  men.  The  work  is  light,  requiring  only  nimble  fingers. 

What  we  say  of  this  crop  will  be  well  understood  by  residents  in 
the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Alabama,  Mississippi  and  Tennessee.  We 
ask  them  to  consider  the  advantages  here  presented  for  its  culture, 
where,  instead  of  a bale  from  four  or  five  acres,  and  sometimes  from 
seven  or  eight,  our  best  lands  produce  sometimes  two  bales,  and 
always  one,  per  acre,  and  the  uplands  one-half  to  one  bale.  Is  it 
not  wise  to  dispose  of  worn-out  soils  at  any  price  and  remove  to  new 
lands  and  fresh  and  inexhaustible  fields? 

TOBACCO. 

The  culture  of  tobacco  is  extending  to  all  portions  of  the  Union, 
and  ranks  next  to  cotton  as  an  article  of  Southern  export.  It  has 
not  been  a leading  crop  here,  simply  because  cotton  claimed  that 
rank,  but  it  has  been  most  successfully  grown  on  almost  every  kind 
of  soil  in  the  valley.  Soils  affect  the  quality  of  tobacco  more  than 
any  other  product.  It  is  quality,  not  quantity,  which  gives  value  to 
the  production,  and  the  large  amounts  of  potash  and  nitrogen  in  our 
soils  favorably  affect  its  growth.  The  culture  of  wheat  and  tobacco 
are  always  profitably  combined,  in  rotation,  and  with  the  increase  of 
wheat-growing  and  flouring-mills,  tobacco  will  become  a staple  crop 
here.  The  tobacco  already  grown  here  compares  most  favorably  with 
the  best  specimens  raised  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky. 

HEMP 

Does  as  well  here  as  in  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  according  to  the 
tests  made  of  it. 

WHEAT. 

Wheat  produces  largely  on  the  bottoms — sometimes  as  high  as 
sixty  bushels  per  acre.  An  average  yield  throughout  the  State  may 
be  set  down  at  from  thirty-five  to  forty-five  bushels,  and  on  uplands 


at  from  'twenty  five  to  thirty-five  bushels,  and  when  well  handled, 
more.  It  weighs  about  five  pounds  more  to  the  bushel  than  Northern 
wheat,  and  the  quality  is  superior.  The  best  flour  made  at  St.  Louis 
is  from  Southern  wheat,  and  the  best  bread  made  in  New  York  is 
from  Southern  flour. 

CORN. 

“ The  bottoms  are  also  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  corn. 
“ From  sixty  to  eighty  bushels  per  acre  is  not  an  unusual  crop  ; and 
“it  is  the  opinion  of  good  farmers  that,  let  the  same  system  of  cul- 
“ture  prevail  here  that  has  been  adopted  in  Jowa  and  Wisconsin, 
“and  the  crop  of  maize  can  be  safely  calculated  to  average  sixty 
“bushels  per  acre.  The  corn  is  not  as  flinty  here  as  in  the  more 
“ Northern  States,  and  is  considered  better  for  feeding  purposes.” — 
Leiois. 

There  are  thousands  of  men  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  through- 
out the  Northwest,  who  can  never  forget  the  magnificent  crops  of 
corn  they  saw  in  the  Valley  of  the  Arkansas  in  the  fall  of  1863. 

RYE,  OATS  AND  BARLEY 

Have  been  cultivated  to  a greater  or  less  extent  since  the  settlement 
of  the  State,  and  do  well  everywhere. 

PEAS,  BEANS,  POTATOES  (of  both  kinds)  AND  TURNIPS 
Are  sure  and  profitable  crops. 

FIELD-PEAS,  PUMPKINS^  PINDERS,  CLOVER,  TIMOTHY, 

HERDS, 

And  all  the  different  grasses  are  cultivated  to  some,  and  may  be  to 
any  extent ; so  also  of  millet,  Hungarian  grass  and  sorghum.  These 
all  yield  freely,  and  have  only  failed  to  receive  much  , attention 
because  the  natural  pasturage  has  not  suffered  them  to  be  necessities. 
Much  has  sometimes  been  said  of  the  hay  crop  of  the  North  and  its 
value.  If  we  have  not  an  abundant  hay  crop  it  is  because  we  have 
an  ample  equivalent.  We  keep  more  cattle  than  are  kept  in  the 
places  which  yield  the  largest  amount  of  hay  at  the  North,  only  we 
do  not  give  it  a money  value  because  it  costs  us  little.  Indeed,  this 
is  one  of  the  great  agricultural  features  of  this  country.  In  some 
States  men  feed  their  cattle  a large  portion  of  the  year  on  land  that 
cost  them  $50.00  or  more  per  acre,  and  for  the  remaining  part  out 
of  hand,  with  food  gathered  under  a broiling  sun.  If  this  is  profit- 


\ 


— li- 
able, then  surely  land  at  $5.00  per  acre,  and  pasturage  free  for  nine 
months  in  the  year,  and  but  little  aid  the  other  three,  must  give  a 
more  satisfactory  return.  If  a man  can  live  feeding  stock  north  of 
40  deg.,  then  he  should  make  his  fortune  at  the  business  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Arkansas.  Wherever  any  attention  has  been  paid  to 
cultivation,  the  crops  have  always  been  most  abundant. 

GARDEN  VEGETABLES 

Of  all  the  varieties  known  to  the  best  seedsmen  of  the  country  suc- 
ceed well.  The  immigrant  from  the  North  may  bring  all  his  favorite 
seeds  with  him.  They  all  grow  well  here,  with  many  that  do  not  there. 

FRUITS 

Of  all  kinds  (with  the  exception  of  the  cranberry,  which  it  is  not 
known  has  been  tried  here)  grow  in  profusion.  Apples,  peaches, 
plums,  apricots,  nectarines  and  grapes  reach  great  perfection,  and 
excel  those  of  the  most  favored  portions  of  the  Union.  Whortle- 
berries, blackberries,  strawberries  and  raspberries  grow  wild  through- 
out the  State. 

Indeed,  without  going  into  particulars,  it  is  enough  to  assert  that 
all  of  these  crops,  fruits  and  vegetables  are  more  successfully  culti- 
vated here,  with  equal  treatment,  than  in  any  other  State,  and  many 
of  them  much  more  so ; and  intelligence  will  point  out  to  every 
farmer  the  general  and  special  branches  of  agricultural  industry  to 
which  his  land  and  his  taste  may  be  best  adapted,  assured  that  suc- 
cess and  remuneration  will  follow  all  well-directed  efforts. 


NAVIGABLE  STREAMS  AND  FACILITIES  OF 
TRANSPORTATION. 


There  are  not  wanting  those,  doubtless,  who  think  that  because 
the  State  has  heretofore  had  no  railroads  she  had  nothing  to  trans- 
port. Railroads  have  not  been  such  necessities  here  as  in  other 
States,  great  portions  of  which  were  almost  worthless  without  some 
artificial  means  of  cheapening  transportation.  With  the  Mississippi 
river  on  the  east,  and  the  St.  Francis,  the  White,  the  Black,  the 
Arkansas,  the  Ouachita,  the  Saline,  the  Red,  the  Bayou  Bartholomew 
and  others  (never  obstructed  by  ice),  forty-three  of  the  counties  of 


u.  of  ill  ub. 


— 12 


the  State  are  watered  by*  streams,  each  navigable  for  steamboats 
from  seventy-five  to  four  hundred  miles,  making  a great  highway 
within  the  State  of  more  than  thirty-five  hundred  miles,  and  several 
hundred  more  miles  which  may  be  made  available  with  but  little 
labor.  We  think  it  may  safely  be  asserted  that  no  other  State  has  a 
water  communication  at  all  comparable  with  this ; and  when  the  lines 
of  railroad  now  under  construction  shall  be  completed,  its  facilities 
of  transportation  will  be  adequate  to  the  wants  of  a very  largely 
increased  population,  and  equal  if  not  superior  to  those  of  any  other 
State.  The  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  (1868)  says: 
44  Arkansas  has  advantages  of  inland  navigation  not  inferior  to  those 
uof  any  other  State , its  many  navigable  waters  being  the  best  possi- 
ble lines  of  transit  for  the  produce  of  the  interior  to  the  great 
44  natural  highway  on  its  eastern  boundary,  whereby  excellent  mar- 
4 4 kets  can  be  easily  reached.  The  Arkansas  river — next  to  the  Mis- 
44  souri,  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Mississippi — extends  diagonally 
44  through  the  central  portion  of  the  State,  from  the  northwest  to  the 
44  southeast,  its  whole  length  being  about  two  thousand  miles,  and  is 
44  navigable  its  entire  course  through  the  State  and  for  several  hundred 
44  miles  beyond.  * In  addition  to  the  numerous  navigable  streams  of 
44  Arkansas,  it  is  proposed  to  still  further  increase  the  availability  of 
44  its  resources  by  a complete  system  of  railroads,  connecting  the 
44  principal  towns  with  the  commercial  centre  of  the  country.  Parts 
4 4 of  these  roads  are  already  completed.  The  principal  ones  are  the 
44  Cairo  and  Fulton,  the  Memphis  and  Little  Rock,  and  the  Little 
44  Hock  and  Fort  Smith , the  two  last-named  forming  the  route  through 
4 4 the  State  of  the  projected  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railway,  for  which 
“route  great  advantages  are  claimed  on  account  of  the  fertility  of 
44  the  soil  and  favorable  climatic  location.” 

In  addition  to  the  roads  above-named  may  be  mentioned  as  now 
under  construction,  the  Little  Rock,  Pine  Bluff  and  New  Orleans; 
the  Mississippi,  Ouachita  and  Red  River ; the  Arkansas  Central ; the 
Helena  and  Iron  Mountain ; the  Memphis  and  St.  Louis ; and  the 
Arkansas  Western. 


MINERALS. 


Dr.  Owen,  in  his  44  Geological  Reconnoissance”  of  Arkansas,  says : 
4 4 The  knowledge  of  the  general  boundaries  of  the  geological  forma- 
44  tions  now  established  enables  the  geologist  to  predict  what  valuable 


ft 


.13  — 


4 4 minerals  may  be  found  within  their  limits.  Some  of  these  basins 
“have  been  proved  to  be  the  repositories  of  salt.  The  extent  and 
44  area  of  the  coal-bearing  strata  have  been  generally  ascertained. 
“Those  districts  have  been  pointed  out  which  are  most  likely  to 
“afford  lead  ore.  Numerous  iron  regions  have  been  discovered. 
“Wide  belts  of  country  have  been  indicated  where  marble  prevails. 
“Sources  have  been  pointed  out  where  the  best  limestone  can  be 
“procured  for  lime,  for  hydraulic  cement,  for  mineral  fertilizers. 
“Though  I have  not  myself  seen  one  particle  of  gold,  I have  no 
“ reason  to  disbelieve  the  statement  of  others.  Yet  if  no  gold  should 
“be  found  profitable  to  work,  there  are  resources  of  the  State  in 
“acres  of  zinc,  manganese,  iron,  lead  and  copper,  whet  and  hone- 
stones,  rock-crystals,  paint  and  nitre  earths,  kaolin,  granite,  free- 
44  stone,  limestone-marls,  grindstones  and  slate,  which  may  well 
“justify  the  assertion  that  Arkansas  is  destined  to  rank  as  one  of  the 
* “ richest  mineral  States  in  the  Union.  Her  zinc  ores  compare  favor- 

“ ably  with  those  of  Silesia,  and  her  argentiferous  galena  far  exceeds 
» “in  percentage  of  silver  the  average  of  such  ores  of  other  countries. 
“Her  novaculate  rock  cannot  be  excelled  in  fineness  of  texture, 
“beauty  of  color  and  sharpness  of  grit.  Her  crystal  mountains 
“stand  unrivalled  for  extent,  and  their  products  are  equal  in  bril- 
‘ 4 liancy  and  transparency  to  any  in  the  world.  If  thus  early  in  this 
44  work  we  are  enabled  to  report  such  flattering  prospects,  what  may 
44  not  be  anticipated  by  a thorough  and  minute  detailed  survey?” 

The  Commissioner  of  the  United  States  Land  Office  says:  44  It 

44  possesses  also  great  mineral  wealth  in  the  bituminous  coal,  and 
“ores  of  zinc,  iron  and  silver-bearing  galena.  The  mineral  wealth 
“lies  in  vast  beds  of  anthracite,  cannel  and  bituminous  coal,  iron, 
4 4 lead,  manganese,  gypsum,  zinc,  salt  and  building-stone,  the  lead 
44  ore  containing  silver  in  quantities  sufficient  to  defray  the  expenses 
44  of  working — the  zinc  product  ranking  next  to  that  of  New  Jersey, 
44  and  the  gypsum  greater  in  quantity  than  in  all  the  other  States  of 
44  the  Union.” 

These  dicta  of  the  Land  Office  result  from  the  records  of  that  office, 
and  we  may  therefore  regard  its  statements  as  of  the  nature  of  official 
facts.  It  is  believed  that  in  no  State  are  stronger  inducements  offered 
for  the  development  of  mineral  wealth,  or  with  so  large  a probability 
i of  remunerative  success,  as  in  Arkansas. 


— 14  — 


COAL. 


The  coal  of  Arkansas — or  at  least  of  the  western  portion  of  the 
State,  which  is  comprised  in  the  Land  Grant  of  this  Railway — is  un- 
excelled by  any  coal  in  the  world.  Conway,  Perry,  Logan,  Pope, 
Yell,  Johnson,  Franklin,  Crawford  and  Sebastian  Counties  have  a 
semi-anthracite,  as  well  as  a bituminous  coal,  which  is  unsurpassed. 
The  celebrated  Spadra  mines  send  a coal  to  St.  Louis  which  is  preferred 
to  the  Pittsburg  coke,  both  in  a matter  of  economy  and  freedom  from 
smoke  and  sulphur,  by  the  Union  Railway  & Transit  Company,  and 
is  used  by  this  Company  in  their  locomotives  through  the  celebrated 
St.  Louis  Tunnel  to  and  from  the  St.  Louis  Union  Depot.  It  is  also 
extensively  used  on  the  Pullman  Sleepers  running  from  St.  Louis. 
Private  families  in  St.  Louis  prefer  it  by  far  to  Illinois  coal,  which 
at  present  can  be  furnished  at  less  price  per  ton.  The  whole  western 
portion  of  the  Land  Grant  of  this  Railway  is  underlaid  with  this  coal. 

The  Horsehead  and  Spadra  coal,  by  six  different  analyses,  show 
eighty-six  (86)  per  cent,  pure  carbon.  Coals  which  will  furnish  coke 
and  gas  are  abundant  everywhere. 

Carbonates  of  iron,  hematites,  spathic,  and  other  iron  ores  abound 
throughout  the  State.  The  Centennial  Exposition  of  Arkansas  min- 
eral products  cannot  be  equalled  by  the  same  display  of  any  State  in 
the  Union. 


TIMBER. 


In  her  forests,  Arkansas  has  a wealth  unknown  elsewhere.  There 
are  no  less  than  eighteen  species  of  oak,  and  ten  of  walnut  and 
hickory.  Ash,  of  various  kinds,  locust,  of  both  kinds,  pecan, 
sycamore,  cypress,  wild  cherry,  of  immense  size,  mulberry,  black 
and  sweet  gums,  basswood,  beech,  holly,  sassafras,  persimmon, 
maples,  pine,  cedar  and  elms  are  not  only  found,  but  abound , in 
quantity  and  quality  equal  to  any  desire,  and  are  admirably  adapted 
to  all  kinds  of  manufacturing  purposes.  For  all  such  products  there 
is  constant  demand. 

Dr.  Owen  says:  “So  peculiarly  indigenous  does  the  yellow 

“ pine  appear  to  be  to  the  Arkansas  soils,  that  you  will  find  it  grow- 


“ ing  in  river  and  creek  bottoms,  side  by  side  with  the  gum,  and  on 
4 4 the  argillaceous  slopes,  associated  with  beech.  The  osage  orange, 
44  or  bois  d’arc,  is  also  indigenous.” 

To  this  country  the  East  must  in  time  come  for  its  timber  and 
woods  ; and  one  of  the  great  freights  in  the  future  will  be  these 
forest  products. 


BUILDING  MATERIAL. 


Another  matter  of  interest  to  the  man  seeking  a new  home,  is  the 
great  and  generally  distributed  quantity  of  building  material.  Be- 
sides the  vast  forest  products,  there  is  no  part  of  the  valley  where  the 
finest  building  stone  and  brick-earths  may  not  be  had.  The  ability 
thus  to  utilize  forest  and  earth,  and  convert  their  productions  into 
houses  and  homes  at  trifling  expense  and  little  labor,  will  be  readily 
appreciated. 


CLEARING  A FARM. 


Men  who  have  only  cultivated  lands  opened  by  their  fathers,  or  who 
have  been  unduly  impressed  by  the  advantages  of  a prairie  country, 
may  have  some  dread  of  a forest  country ; but  the  extra  labor  of 
clearing  a forest  farm  is  but  a tithe  of  the  cost  of  fence  and  fuel 
on  the  prairies.  Good  water,  fuel,  building  material,  and  timber  for 
all  kinds  of  implements  and  tools,  always  at  hand,  are  not  small 
items  in  the  cost  and  comfort  of  life. 


EDUCATION. 


The  State  has  amply  provided  for  the  educational  interest  of  its 
children.  The  Constitution  provides  that  the  General  Assembly  shall 
require,  by  law,  every  child  of  sufficient  mental  and  physical  ability, 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  eighteen  years,  to  attend  the  public 
school,  for  a period  equivalent  to  three  3^ears,  unless  otherwise 
educated ; and  shall  also  establish  and  maintain  a State  University, 
♦ with  departments  in  agriculture  and  the  natural  sciences.  The  six- 
teenth section  of  land  in  every  township,  besides  various  State  funds, 


is  set  apart  for  school  purposes.  No  southern  or  southwestern  State 
expends  so  much  per  capita  for  the  education  of  its  school  popula- 
tion as  Arkansas. 


HEALTH. 


No  State  west  of  the  Mississippi  has  a more  healthful  climate. 
Equally  protected  by  her  intermediate  position  from  the  diseases 
peculiar  to  the  extreme  North  or  South,  she  has  been  singularly  free 
from  all  those  epidemics  which  have  scourged  so  many  States ; while 
the  less  dreaded  diseases  incident  to  the  rich  alluvial  soil  of  our 
broad  river-bottoms,  are  less  prevalent  and  serious  than  in  any  of 
those  Western  States  bordering  on  the  great  lakes ; and  even  these 
are  fast  disappearing  before  increased  cultivation.  These  remarks 
apply  with  peculiar  force  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Little  Rock, 
the  initial  point  of  this  road,  and  to  the  whole  western  section  of  the 
State,  which  it  traverses ; a city  and  country  where  the  rate  of  mor- 
tality is  probably  less  than  in  any  other  city  and  country  in  the  West 
or  South,  of  the  same  population.  We  make  these  statements  on  the 
testimony  of  thousands  of  intelligent  citizens,  including  many  medi- 
cal gentlemen  of  great  experience  and  critical  observation,  and  we 
believe  them  reliable.  But  if  they  need  any  verification,  the  study 
of  “ Nature’s  own  handwriting,”  the  legibility  of  which  no  amount 
of  prejudice  can  mar,  must  bring  the  most  casual  observer  to  the 
same  conclusions ; for  the  soil,  with  the  exception  of  the  immediate 
river-bottoms,  is  light  and  sandy,  with  a sub-soil  of  clay  and  gravel ; 
the  large  pine  forest;  the  undulating  face  of  the  country,  making 
a natural  drainage  of  the  first  order ; qnd  the  exemption  of  the  lands 
west  of  the  city  from  those  overflows  so  destructive  to  the  health  of 
some  States,  are  corroborative  and  satisfactory  proofs  that  this  val- 
ley of  the  Arkansas  must  be  a healthful  climate. 


LABOR. 


Labor  is  the  great  want  of  Arkansas.  The  foregoing  pages  have 
been  chiefly  addressed  to  men  supposed  to  have  means  of  establishing 
themselves  in  the  place  of  their  choice.  But  there  are  great  num- 
bers not  so  situated,  and  to  those  who  seek  to  meet  present  wants 


— 17  — 


by  daily  labor,  the  farmer  will  furnish  employment  all  the  year. 
There  is  not  a point  on  the  river  or  on  the  road,  where  a steady  man 
may  not  find  occupation  three  days  after  arrival,  at  any  time  of  the 
year.  Mechanics  of  every  kind  are  greatly  needed.  Brick,  wagon, 
plow,  boot,  shoe,  harness,  furniture  and  chair-makers,  gin-wrights, 
engine-drivers,  millers,  tinners,  tanners,  tailors,  potters,  saddlers, 
hatters,  ^coopers,  and  all  other  branches  of  mechanical  industry  can 
at  once  find  locations  suitable  for  their  avocations.  The  progress  of 
the  country  is  greatly  retarded  by  this  want  of  skilled  labor,  and  the 
raw  material  for  almost  every  trade  may  be  found  here  in  profusion. 


WATER-POWER 

For  all  manufacturing  and  mechanical  purposes,  is  abundant  in  every 
part  of  the  State.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  these  is  known 
as  the  “Mammoth  Spring,”  in  Fulton  County,  welling  up  on  the  side 
of  a low,  rocky  ridge,  from  a submerged  abyss  beneath  of  sixty-four 
feet.  The  main  body  of  water  issues  from  a large  cavernous  opening 
forty  yards  in  circumference,  and  boils  up  with  a constant  flow  at  the 
rate  of  8,000  barrels  per  minute.  Dr.  Owen  says  its  original  source  is 
supposed  to  be  Howel’s  Valley,  Oregon  county,  Missouri,  since  the 
waters  of  this  valley,  which  is  thirty  miles  long  and  eight  miles  wide, 
are  not  known  to  have  any  internal  outlet,  losing  themselves  in  sink- 
holes and  subterranean  caverns  and  passages,  to  again  burst  forth 
on  the  northern  confines  of  Arkansas,  and  constitute  the  principal 
branch  of  Spring  river.  If  properly  improved,  it  affords  water- 
power with  sufficient  fall  for  valuable  mill-sites  and  water-privileges 
for  general  manufacturing  purposes. 


MANUFACTURES. 


With  abundant  and  cheap  water-power  and  fuel,  and  a steady 
demand  for  all  kinds  of  manufactured  goods,  Arkansas,  with  but 
limited  and  insufficient  manufactures  of  her  own,  offers  to  capitalists 
special  inducements  for  the  establishment  of  cotton  and  flour-mills 
and  manufactures  of  all  kinds.  As  agriculture  has  hitherto  been  the 
great  business  of  the  people,  these  have  been  neglected,  and  reliance 
has  been  almost  exclusively  upon  importations  from  other  States, 


— 18  — 


for  furniture,  agricultural  tools  and  most  kinds  of  manufactured 
articles.  With  the  increasing  growth  of  the  State  and  additional 
demands  of  the  people,  a large  and  profitable  field  for  all  such  enter- 
prise is  now  here  opened.  By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
1875,  taxation  upon  capital  employed  in  manufactures  or  mining,  and 
upon  the  products  thereof,  while  in  the  possession  or  ownership  of 
the  original  manufacturer  or  miner,  is  suspended  for  the  term  of  seven 
years  from  October  30th,  1874.  With  this  exemption  large  sales  and 
fair  profits  must  attend  every  well-directed  branch  of  industry,  and 
investments  cannot  fail  to  meet  satisfactory  returns. 


GRAPE  CULTURE. 


In  some  localities  the  soil  may  have  all  the  requisite  qualities  for 
successful  grape  culture,  but  the  climate  is  unfavorable ; in  others 
the  climate  may  be  the  most  desirable,  but  the  soil  unfitted.  In 
either  case  the  culture  of  the  vine  is  imperfect.  Its  complete  suc- 
cess depends  upon  their  mutual  adaptation.  This  obtains  in  Arkan- 
sas to  a most  remarkable  degree,  and  all  evidence  demonstrates  that 
no  locality  on  the  continent  is  superior  to  this  State  for  the  profitable 
growth  of  the  grape  in  all  its  varieties.  Dr.  Thruston  asserts  that 
there  is  no  portion  of  the  country  where  the  grape  can  be  grown  so 
successfully.  Leonard  Wilhaff,  Esq. , a native  of  a vine-growing 
country  near  Wertenberg,  and  engaged  in  its  culture  in  this  State 
for  many  years,  says  the  Catawba  and  White  Hamburg  have  neither 
of  them  ever  failed.  Dr.  Dibrell,  a well-known  gentleman,  says  he 
raised  the  Catawba,  Diana  and  Delaware,  and  has  never  known 
either  to  fail  or  be  troubled  with  mildew.  Mr.  John  R.  Eakin,  in  his 
valuable  treatise  on  grape  culture,  says  an  experience  of  eight  years 
(his  own  and  others)  has  proven  the  crop  is  never  an  entire  failure 
from  rot  or  mildew.  The  vines  grow  with  remarkable  vigor  on  soil 
considered  poor.  The  fruit  has  never  once  suffered  from  frost , and 
has  rotted  less  than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  country.  The  Isabella 
ripens  thoroughly  here  and  has  a delicious  flavor.  There  is  also  a 
manifest  improvement  in  the  size  and  taste  of  the  Catawba.  4 4 This 
“is  the  best  region  of  wild  grapes  in  America.  What  we  mean  to 
44  assert  is  that  the  region  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the 
4 4 staked  plains  and  between  the  Missouri  river  and  the  swamp  lands 
44  of  the  Gulf,  produces  more  and  larger  and  better  wild  grapes  than 


V 


19 


“ any  other  portion  of  the  known  world.  This  is  said  deliberately, 
after  much  reading,  inquiry,  travel  and  extensive  observation.” 
Elias  Huh,  of  Little  Rock,  states  that  he  has  raised  one  hundred 
and  eighty  (180)  gallons  of  wine  to  the  acre  on  lands  purchased  of 
the  Little  Rock  & Fort  Smith  Railway,  has  never  known  a failure  of 
crop,  and  readily  sells  his  wine  at  $2.50  per  gallon  when  less  than  a 
year  old.  He  will  gladly  give  further  information. 


STOCK-RAISING. 


Arkansas  is  especially  well  adapted  to  stock-raising.  In  the  cen- 
tral and  southern  portion  of  the  State  horses  and  cattle  require  but 
little  care  during  the  winter,  thriving  and  growing  fat  on  the  natural 
grasses  and  small  cane  which  grow  luxuriantly  during  the  year.  A 
ready  market  for  these  animals  is  found  in  St.  Louis,  Memphis  and 
even  further  North.  Hogs  are  fattened  without  cost,  and  roam  in 
large  numbers  through  the  extensive  oak  forests.  The  acorns  of  the 
over-cup  oak  in  particular,  being  nearly  two  inches  in  length,  afford 
them  remarkably  nutritious  food.  As  there  is  no  better  corn  country 
than  this,  Arkansas,  with  its  facilities  for  transportation,  must  soon 
stand  among  the  leading  stock-growing  States. 


GAME. 


The  game  of  a country  is  an  indication  of  the  value  and  fertility  of 
the  land,  and  the  pioneers  judge  a country  favorably  or  otherwise  by 
its  abundance.  This  is  a fine  game  country.  Deer  and  turkey  are 
plentiful.  Quail,  grouse,  squirrels,  ducks,  snipes,  plovers,  woodcock, 
wild  geese,  etc.,  furnish  constant  shooting,  and  there  is  scarcely  a 
farmer  who  cannot  make  a good  hag  within  a few  miles  of  home. 
Fur  animals  abound.  There  has  been  no  trapping  for  several  years, 
and  these  animals  have  greatly  increased,  especially  the  beaver,  otter, 
mink  and  raccoon.  There  are  foxes  and  wildcats  for  the  sportsmen. 
A great  variety  of  fish  may  be  found  in  our  waters ; among  them  are 
the  pickerel,  black  bass,  buffalo  and  catfish,  the  latter  sometimes 
weighing  150  pounds. 


— 20 


GOVERNMENT  LANDS. 


The  only  lands  of  the  General  Government  in  Arkansas  now  sub- 
ject to  entry  are  those  under  the  homestead  acts  of  Congress.  Any 
person  may  obtain  eighty  acres  of  these  lands  within  railroad  grants 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  elsewhere,  and  soldiers  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  anywhere,  upon  the  conditions  of  improvement  and 
settlement  thereon  for  five  years.  After  such  residence  a title  is 
made  to  him  upon  the  payment  of  a small  fee. 


ROUTES  OF  TRAVEL. 


The  Arkansas  Valley  may  be  reached  from  any  point  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi or  Ohio  rivers  by  steamboat.  The  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain 
and  Southern* Railway  furnishes  a rapid  route  from  St.  Louis  and  the 
Northwest,  and  the  Memphis  and  Little  Rock  the  same  for  those 
coming  from  the  East.  Hundreds  of  persons  annually  come  in  their 
own  wagons  from  Missouri,  Illinois,  Tennessee  and  elsewhere.  If  a 
good  season  of  the  year  be  chosen  it  is  a cheap  mode  of  travel,  and 
very  often  the  settler  is  thus  enabled  to  retain  his  stock  and  wagon, 
which,  if  sold  at  his  old  home,  would  not  yield  him  enough  to  replace 
them  in  his  new  home.  Emigrants  from  Europe  will  find  it  con- 
venient to  take  passage  to  New  Orleans,  and  thence  by  the  Missis- 
sippi and  Arkansas  rivers. 


IMPROVED  LANDS. 


The  lands  of  the  railroad  are  not  the  only  ones  available  for  pur- 
chase. Tracts  of  improved  land  may  be  bought  of  planters  now  will- 
ing, by  the  changed  system  of  labor,  to  part  with  a portion  of  their 
estates,  in  a high  state  of  cultivation,  at  reasonable  rates.  This  com- 
pany is  liberal  in  its  views,  and  desires  the  country  settled,  whether 
it  now  sells  its  lands  at  present  low  rates  or  hereafter,  when  an 
increased  population  shall  create  larger  demand  and  higher  rates.  It 
wishes  to  co-operate  with  planters  and  all  branches  of  industry  in 


— 21  — 


inducing  a healthy  immigration  to  this  fair  land  and  in  the  develop- 
ment of  its  wonderful  resources. 

If  the  reader  has  had  interest  enough  in  the  subject  to  appreciate 
the  importance  of  the  facts  above  stated,  he  is  prepared  to  accept  the 
statement  that  Arkansas, . in  her  natural  products,  fertility  of  soil, 
variety  of  minerals,  unsurpassed  climate,  actual  and  possible  produc- 
tions, facilities  of  transportation  and  general  desirability  for  settle- 
ment by  men  seeking  permanent  homes,  has  no  superior,  but  is,  in 
fact,  “ unrivalled.”  And  when  he  further  considers  that  these 
natural  products  are  not  confined  to  narrow  bounds,  but  are  spread 
profusely  in  all  the  ten  counties  of  the  valley,  interspersed  with  the 
most  varied  soils,  capable  of  producing  a greater  range  of  cultivated 
crops  than  elsewhere  in  the  whole  country,  and  in  the  most  positively 
remunerative  quantities,  he  may  declare  it  to  be,  in  the  language  of 
the  General  Land  Office,  “ One  of  the  most  productive  regions  on  the 
“ continent .”  And  surely  such  a great,  broad  valley,  sheltered  by 
noble  mountains,  traversed  by  a large,  navigable  river  and  a first- 
class  railroad,  watered  by  hundreds  of  mountain  streams,  and  pro- 
ducing all  that  necessity  or  luxury  requires,  with  all  the  conditions 
under  which  men  may  find  or  make  for  themselves  happy  homes,  is 
not  a country  to  be  neglected  by  persons  wishing  to  secure  them  for 
themselves  and  children. 


LINE  OF  THE  LITTLE  HOCK  AND  FORT  SMITH 

RAILROAD. 

Little  Rock,  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  road,  is  the  capital,  and 
near  the  centre  of  the  State  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Arkansas.  It 
is  a thriving  city  of  20,000  inhabitants,  and  the  chief  commercial  and 
business  point  of  Arkansas,  noted  for  its  enterprise,  intelligence, 
schools,  churches,  residences  and  public  institutions.  It  is  rapidly 
increasing  in  population.  Leaving  Little  Rock,  we  pass  through  the 
western  part  of  Pulaski  county,  composed  of  rugged  hills  and  fertile 
valleys,  and  supposed  to  be  the  richest  mineral  district  in  the  State. 
There  are  here  found  granite,  slate,  novaculite,  sandstone  (fit  for 
building),  iron,  lead,  copper,  zinc,  silver  and  lignite.  The  well- 
known  ‘‘Kellogg  Mines’ ’ are  in  this  county,  as  also  sulphur  and 
chalybeate  springs. 


-22- 


LANDS  FOR  SALE. 


The  company  offers  in  Pulaski  county  about 78,500  acres. 


u 

u 

£ £ 
£ £ 

Faulkner  ) 
Conway  J 

££ 

£ £ 

188,200 

££ 

(t 

“l 

Perry 

£ £ 

££ 

113,400 

£ £ 

££ 

££ 

Pope 

£ £ 

£ £ 

106,700 

££ 

£ £ 

£ £ 1 

Yell 

£ £ 

£ £ 

51,600 

£ £ 

£ £ 

£ £ 

Johnson 

£ £ 

£ £ 

131,800 

£ £ 

£ £ 

£ £ 

Madison 

£ £ 

££ 

11,500 

£ £ 

££ 

£ £ 

Franklin 

£ £ 

£ £ 

135,100 

£ £ 

£ £ 

£ £ 

Logan 

£ £ 

£ £ 

118,700 

£ £ 

.££ 

£ £ 

Crawford 

£ £ 

££ 

132,500 

£ £ 

£ £ 

£ £ 

Washington 

£ £ 

£ £ 

5,000 

£ £ 

£ £ 

££ 

Sebastian 

£ £ 

££ 

35,300 

£ £ 

£ £ 

£ £ 

Saline 

£ £ 

£ £ 

4,500 

£ £ 

£ £ 

££ 

Van  Buren 

£ £ 

££ 

££ 

These  lands  are  in  alternate  sections  (shaded  on  the  accompanying 
maps)  on  either  side,  and  within  twenty  miles  of  the  Little  Rock  and 
Fort  Smith  Railroad.  They  consist  of  uplands  and  river  and  creek 
bottoms.  Uplands  vary  in  price  from  $2.50  to  $8.00  per  acre  ; river 
bottoms,  from  $9.00  to  $25.00;  and  creek  bottoms,  from  $4.00  to 
$10.00,  depending  upon  soil,  timber,  locality  and  the  other  consider- 
ations which  affect  value. 

They  are  all  now  offered  for  sale  in  government  subdivisions,  in 
quantities  and  terms  to  suit  purchasers,  with  6 per  cent,  interest  on 
deferred  payments.  A perfect  title  will  be  made  to  all  purchasers. 

P.  S. — To  “ colonies”  and  persons  buying  large  tracts  of  land 
additional  time  of  payment  will  be  allowed  if  desired,  and  a very 
liberal  discount  from  schedule  prices.  For  cash  payments  a still 
more  liberal  discount  will  be  offered. 


THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT. 


The  recent  reports  and  letters  of  Gen.  Hazen,  of  the  United  States 
army,  contribute  much  valuable  and  authentic  information  touching 


— 23  — 


the  general  character  of  the  Territories  of  the  United  States,  and  go 
to  show  that  the  idea  which  has  been  heretofore  prevalent,  that  there 
are  still  vast  areas  of  land  west  of  the  Mississippi  waiting  for  settlers 
to  occupy  them  and  develop  their  fertility,  is  erroneous.  They  show 
very  conclusively  that  the  good  lands  of  this  country  are  already 
occupied,  and  that  what  remains  must  be  classed  under  the  head  of 
bad  lands,  or  more  specifically  as  the  Great  American  Desert.  The 
eastern  boundary  of  this  desert  may  be  fixed  by  commencing  a line 
in  the  western  part  of  Minnesota  and  running  it  north  and  south 
through  Kansas,  Nebraska,  the  Indian  Territory  and  Texas,  ending 
at  about  the  100th  degree  of  longitude,  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas  from 
the  western  line.  It  includes  a distance  of  about  1,000  miles  north 
and  south,  and  1,200  miles  east  and  west,  and  all  this  vast  territory 
between  these  two  boundary  lines  does  not  contain  so  much-  good  land 
as  there  is  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  although  there  is  territory  enough 
to  make  forty  States  of  the  size  of  Indiana.  This  great  desert  includes 
one-third  of  Texas,  one-third  of  Kansas,  one-half  of  Nebraska,  seven- 
eighths  of  Dakota,  one-fifth  of  Minnesota,  all  of  New  Mexico,  Colo- 
rado, Wyoming,  Montana,  Idaho,  Utah,  Arizona,  Nevada,  and  about 
two-thirds  of  California,  Oregon  and  Washington,  embracing  an  area 
of  about  1,200,000  square  miles,  or  about  half  the  area  of  the  United 
States.  This  vast  area  averages  an  altitude  of  about  a mile  above 
the  sea,  and  is  cut  off  from  rains  by  the  Sierra  Nevadas.  Very  little 
of  this  area  is  adapted  for  cultivation,  although  by  irrigation  it  might 
be  forced  to  yield  sustenance  enough  for  those  who  may  live  upon  it, 
but  for  general  agricultural  purposes  it  is  worthless.  It  is  estimated 
by  Gen.  Hazen  that  2 per  cent,  of  it  may  be  redeemed  by  irrigation, 
and  that  an  agricultural  oasis  might  be  obtained  in  this  manner  of 
the  size  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  There  are  some  parts  of  the  remainder 
which  afford  pasturage  for  flocks  and  herds,  but  even  in  these  por- 
tions the  grass  is  so  poor  and  scant  that  it  requires  100  acres  in  the 
best  locality  to  equal  one  acre  in  Illinois  or  Iowa.  In  this  great 
region  there  is  1 per  cent,  of  forest,  producing  wood  valuable  for 
building  purposes.  In  minerals  it  is  rich,  especially  in  gold,  silver, 
copper,  lead,  salt  and  coal,  which  are  scattered  all  over  this  area  in 
more  or  less  profusion. 

The  facts  brought  out  in  these  reports  of  Gen.  Hazen  lead  to  some 
important  conclusions : 1.  The  good  lands  of  this  country  are  already 
occupied.  2.  The  farming  lands  are  already  exhausted,  having 
passed  into  the  hands  of  private  owners  and  railroad  corporations,  and 
what  is  left  is  practically  useless  for  agricultural  purposes.  3.  They 


have  an  important  bearing  upon  the  future  price  of  land  in  this 
country,  since  it  is  now  known  that  the  supply  of  land  for  agricul- 
tural purposes  is  limited.  -The  inevitable  tendency  must  be  a gradual 
increase  in  prices  of  the  available  lands.  4.  They  show  that  future 
legislation,  development  and  emigration  must  be  shaped  with  the 
view  of  developing  the  mineral  resources  rather  than  the  agricultural 
of  this  great  desert  of  1,200,000  square  miles,  which  for  all  time  to 
come  must  bear  the  same  relation  to  the  rest  of  the  country  that  the 
Steppes  of  Russia  do  to  the  rest  of  that  empire.  With  the  exception 
of  its  mineral  productions  and  the  comparatively  small  portion  of  it 
that  may  be  used  for  grazing,  this  vast  area  must  for  all  time  remain 
a desert. — ( From  Chicago  Tribune  on  Gen.  Hazen’s  Report.) 


* 


